Are You Afraid?
by MsBitterSweets
Summary: NaruHina. Because sometimes, something as simple as training can go painfully wrong, disastrous. And sometimes, despite the odds, there can still be love when it's over.
1. Chapter 1

I know that this kind of plot has been done many times before and I tried to make my story a little different. If you are tired of this kind of plot and have read it before then don't waste your time.

**WARNING:** my awesomely lazy beta did not beta this story, she's sort of sick of Naruto FanFiction… So, if there are any errors they are my fault, and if pointed out, I will be quick to fix them. Also, this is rated M, however, there will be no sex scenes. Nevertheless, there are dirty thoughts, and some dirty acts, but NO PORN. Still, there are some M rated stuff in it.

**Spoilers:** Well, this story takes place in Naruto Shippuden, but there are no specific spoilers. No mentions of important events happening in Naruto/Naruto Shippuden.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or its characters.

**Edit: **I recently realized just how crappy this story was written, so I decided to edit the chapters. There will be no changes in the plot, the only changes there will be is in the quality of the story (I hope).

So, this chapter has been edited! Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

, this was bad! Why did she choose this day to ask him to train with her? He couldn't say no, not to her, even if this would probably ruin their slowly progressing relationship. He just couldn't risk hurting her feelings

If he lost control or got distracted, even for a second, he knew that damned fox would take the chance and "satisfy his needs". He shuddered at the mere thought of what could happen, if such a thing ever did occur. And yet here he was, stuck with a nine-tailed demon fox _in heat_ inside of him, and about to start training with a beautiful girl which he happens to have feelings for. Saying that Naruto was in a predicament was an understatement, a big one.

This happens every year and it's always torture for Naruto, this animal like magnification of hormones every spring. It used to be funny, even to himself, getting all flushed and bothered alongside with every other animal that started looking to mate. That is until it got dangerous.

He's forced to isolate himself from any kind of civilization for fear of something happening. The first time it happened was when he was around sixteen, he had been taking a late night's stroll when all of a sudden a strange feeling started forming at the pit of his stomach. He had started feeling really warm and stuffy, his skin started itching and the strangely familiar feeling grew. Everything had started getting blurry and he couldn't stop panting like a dog. He had been about to go back to his apartment when he saw a woman walking out of a bar. The strange feeling had gotten ten times stronger and he had fallen to his knees. Then, red chakra started forming around him and he had started resembling a fox. Panicked, Naruto had ran towards the nearest deserted place he could find and had to stay there for about four days, until the Kyuubi's chakra subsided and he returned to normal. Normal being his usual self, not horny as hell... more than usual.

That was two years ago and, if anything, the seal holding Kyuubi had weakened and the symptoms now last longer and are harder to control.

"N-Naruto-kun, would you mind if w-we train here?" Hinata looked up at him with a small blush decorating her pale face. Guh.

"**Come on, Kit, just give up. You know you can't control this, it's part of you, too." **

The demon's voice was calm, almost like scolding a child. It got on Naruto's nerves every time he said something like that, how he couldn't control this, how he was too weak to do anything about it, how no matter what he did he would harm others. How sooner or later Kyuubi would get what he wanted.

"_Stop it!_" Yet Naruto refused to listen every time. He _had _to refuse, he wouldn't just stand by and listen to every rotten word and not do anything. He couldn't, if he didn't it would completely destroy the fragile relationship he had formed with Hinata. He had to.

Hinata has been coming out of her shell very slowly, and was starting to be more confident around Naruto. Her stuttering had calmed down a bit, but she still constantly blushed when she was around him. Of course, all that time she was spending with him lately was helping her a lot. They were getting closer and closer with time and if he gave up to Kyuubi's desires then everything would go to hell, and he couldn't risk that.

"N-Naruto-kun, are you a-alright?"

Naruto was still deep in thought and looking into empty space, and it was making Hinata worry. He had been acting very strangely since this morning when she finally worked up the courage to ask him to train with her. She slowly brought her hand up to his shoulder, worry clouding her face.

Naruto flinched at the contact and took a step back, startled out of his thoughts. The simple touch had left his skin burning and he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I-I'm sorry, um… do you mind training h-here?" She asked once again, worry still heavy on her delicate face.

"No! Of course not, I don't mind!" Naruto grinned and tried not to make it look forced. He was going to have to stay as far away from her as possible, which was a very hard thing to do considering that they were going to train, and both him and Hinata were close combat fighters. Very close... Stop! He would not do this, not now. And damn it, it pissed Naruto off that he didn't need the courage of a certain demon to get all riled up over insignificant little things.

The grounds in which Hinata chose to train was a small valley-looking clearing in the middle of a forest. It had some dummies, and a few looked like they had been used already. He could hear water a little farther away, so he could tell that there was a river somewhere.

Hinata looked up at him again, and smiled sweetly, dimples and all. He returned a forced smile, twitches and all.

"I-I've trained here before, and t-there's a small river over to the s-south," Hinata pointed at the direction where Naruto had suspected a river, and then looked back at him.

"I-In case you wanted t-to wash after tr-training." She blushed and looked at the ground, her stuttering getting worse. Naruto could hear the fox groan, and he looked away, disgusted.

"W-Would you like to start?" Naruto looked back at her and hesitated, what if Kyuubi was right? What if he _couldn't _control this? He didn't want Hinata to hate him, he couldn't stand it if he ruined what little he had with Hinata. It would kill him.

"Sure."

… And yet, he agreed to this. Man, this was bad.

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I know this chapter is short, but it's just an introduction. The rest of the chapters will be a little longer. Comments make my day!


	2. Chapter 2

So here's the new and improved Chapter 2! Like I said before, the plot is staying intact.

Again: This story is Unbeta'd.

Disclaimer and Warnings in First Chapter.

Note: In this chapter, and further chapters, all the explanations on Naruto and Kyuubi and the seal and all that jazz are complete nonsense. Meaning I came up with them, so no spoilers there, not really. If you do find one, please point them out so I can add them to the Warnings.

Hope you like it.

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

Hinata stood in a fighting position, a determined expression on her face and her stance firm. Naruto enjoyed training with Hinata, she has grown stronger and stronger and always manages to surprise him just when he thought he knew everything there was to know. Hinata is a different person when she fights, there is no blushing or stuttering, no hunching over as if trying to make herself as small as possible. She was confident and strong and Naruto loved every second of it.

Naruto positioned himself in a fighting position, too. They stayed there, watching each other to see who would make the first move and attack. Naruto charged forward, fist closed and ready to deliver a punch. Hinata dodged it and used her Juuken, hitting Naruto in the shoulder. But Naruto disappeared and all that was left was a log. Hinata quickly jumped to a branch and hid.

"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her special blood-line ability. With that she started scanning the whole area, trying to find Naruto's hiding spot. She was almost too late before she noticed that there were two Narutos behind her, one holding a Rasengan in his hand. She tried to dodge but ended up falling to the ground because of bad footing. It still saved her from getting hit and instead the tree absorbed the attack, cracking in two. She landed on the ground and quickly turned around to face Naruto.

"Kage Bunshin No Justsu!" In a second, four more Narutos appeared and surrounded Hinata. They all charged at her at the same time and she was having a hard time holding them back. A burst of determination shot through Hinata, her eyes narrowed, her back straightened and she took a deep breath before closing her eyes.

"Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!(1)" Hinata started hitting all four of her opponents' chakra points with a speed that only rigorous training and a harsh teacher can accomplish. Once she was done, the four Narutos stayed still for a few seconds before disappearing with 'poofs' of air. Hinata gasped in surprise, she hadn't known that the real Naruto wasn't among those four. Just when she was about to turn around and search for him again a pair of strong arms trapped her from behind and a kunai was directed at her throat.

Hinata's shoulders dropped and the tension left her body. The fight was over, Naruto won. It's not that she was disappointed that she hadn't won, it wasn't a competition, just friendly training. But their training fights usually last a lot longer than this, she was a little disappointed that it had ended so quickly.

"**Gotcha!" **The demon fox said in victory and smirked, the tone snarky and dirty. Naruto unconsciously shook his head as if to get rid of the demon's voice, but at doing so he bent his head down to her hair and accidently sniffed. Her fragrance penetrating his sensibilized sensed and luring him in as he got even closer to her.

"**Mmm…" **The fox groaned and Naruto snapped out of the trance but didn't move an inch, still pressing against Hinata with his kunai positioned at her throat and his head buried in her long hair. A bewildered look on his face but her smell still stuck in his head. It was a strong but gentle at the same time, it reminded him of light rainfall in the spring time, and a hint of lavender. It was so... Hinata. With his senses heightened and sensible because of Kyuubi's restlessness, the aroma was strong to him. Too strong. Too much.

"Um... N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice snapped him out of yet another trance. He quickly let her go and took several steps back, leaving a space between the two and giving Hinata the chance to turn around.

"Oh, sorry Hinata-chan! Just got a little distracted!" His goofy grin didn't reach his eyes and Hinata couldn't help feeling worried. He was gripping the kunai awfully tight, and his stance was defensive.

"Naruto-kun, a-are you okay?" Naruto felt bad at the obvious worry etched in Hinata's voice. He was making her worry for nothing, he was ruining their training session. And all because of a horny demon.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Sorry!" Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, while he quickly pocketed his kunai, having just realized he was still holding on to it.

"O-Okay, um… do you still want to t-train? Maybe we should resche-schedule" Hinata asked, uncertain about the situation. Naruto always seemed eager to train, but when she asked him to accompany her this morning, he had hesitated. It looked like he wanted to say no, but then ended up saying yes. He seemed very distracted and a little... nervous?

She didn't want to force him into doing something he didn't want to. Maybe he had more important stuff to take care of or had a date with someone…or maybe he just didn't want to train with _her._ She could understand if he didn't want to train with her, what she couldn't understand was why he had agreed to it. Pity? She knew very well that she could be a burden at times, and she has been training day and night to change that.

Hinata enjoys training with Naruto very much, he makes her want to be better, he gives her hope and motivation to train harder. He gives her a reason to be better without even knowing it. When she trains with him she's always more enthusiastic and eager than usual. Just _being_ with him gives her a sudden energy.

"I-If you don't want to train with me, it's ok-kay. I don't mind training a-alone." She smiled at him, and Naruto's heart melted and broke and jumped at the same time. Hinata thought he didn't want to train with her. Although it is better than the actual reason, it pained him to know that Hinata would think that.

"What! No, no, _no_! I _want _to train with you Hinata-chan. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm distracted. I am so stupid and sorry-" He cut off abruptly. He had taken several steps towards her in his fervent apology, trying to convince her that it was _his _fault, and now they were merely a few inches apart.

Hinata's sent and warmth invaded his over-sensitive senses, overwhelming him in pure bliss.

**"No one will hear you here, just do it! Let me free, I'll take over!" **

As the fox encouraged Naruto to lose his control, he filled him with images of what could happen if he listened to him. If he just gave his body up to Kyuubi. Images of them, Naruto and Hinata. Against a tree, on the ground, in the river nearby. Hinata under him, debauched and beautiful, screaming his name at the top of her lungs... No! He couldn't let Kyuubi take over. Not now.

Naruto had discovered a while back that if he gave Kyuubi permission to mate during "that time of the year", he could completely control his body without having to break the seal. It was different than when he lost control because of anger and Kyuubi would slowly take control of his body without his full conscious consent because that damaged his body and Kyuubi's, too. In this way, none was harmed, however, Kyuubi's powers were limited, although it still boosted Naruto's strength hugely.

**"Let me take over your body. You'll be feeling and seeing and **_**tasting, **_**everything I do! Come on, kit!" **

Naruto, without noticing, whimpered. The demon fox had never been this persistent about mating someone, never been this enthusiastic and... needy and desperate. This was the first time, ever.

But why Hinata? Why her? Was it her endearing innocence and the permanent blushes and stuttering that made her look so painfully shy? Maybe it was because of those eyes she had, a pale, soft and gentle yet still strong and passionate, that could look right inside you. Or maybe it was her petite body, so smaller and vulnerable looking, giving Naruto an insistent urge to protect her even though he new perfectly well that she could take care of herself. Or how gentle and tranquil she was, always looking so serene and at peace. It made Naruto calm down every time he looked at her (although this time it seemed to be having quite the opposite effect). Or the way she stuttered out his name, and how she was always so forgiving, and so beautiful and… and what?

What did this mean? Did he love her? Because he could go days listing all the good things about her and never get bored. He could be seeing red and his blood boiling and calm down in a matter of seconds if he heard her voice. He would protect her even if it meant dying, he would do anything to see that warm smile that seemed to be only for him. He wanted to be with her, and look after her and be her… guardian angel? Yes! Her guardian angel who would always keep her safe and away from danger.

Naruto, distracted in his profound thoughts, didn't notice that he had continued taking slow steps towards Hinata and consequently trapping her against a tree.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Hinata was utterly confused; Naruto had been acting strange since the morning. He had been fidgeting a lot and spacing out almost every five minutes. He would look at her with a strange glint in his eyes then look away in disgust and when she would ask he would just say it's nothing and change the subject. And he's been having this scared and guilty look on his face. He was never uncomfortable, _never_. Yet, he's been stuttering and fidgeting and avoiding eye contact, and that was _Hinata's_ thing.

He also appeared to be... sleepwalking, maybe? He kept giving these little unstable steps that made her back up towards a large tree. She should probably get him to a hospital, take him to Sakura to see if anything's wrong. He could be in pain! And hiding it because he didn't want anyone to know, and here Hinata asked him to train! God, she could be so stupid, sometimes.

Naruto snapped out it once he heard that voice he had been thinking about, focusing on the now only to find himself drowning in a desire completely unknown to him. In a daze he leaned down to her neck and rested his head on her shoulder blade to be able to smell her aroma more, making her gasp and ask again.

"N-Nar-Naruto-kun?"

He sniffed her scent once again making his vision swim and something down in his stomach tighten, along with something even lower. He lifted his head just a little and put it near her ear and breathed, deeply and slowly. Then, something snapped inside of him, so hard he could almost hear the crack.

"U-Umm…"

"You're making this impossible for me, Hinata." His voice was husky and strangely threatening. He pressed closer to her, making their bodies touch and leaving absolutely no space between them. Her eyes widened in shock, and all thoughts about medical attention and possible pain flew out the window.

"Don't tempt me Hinata. You won't like it if you tempt me."

"_Lust is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst__.__" By Frederick Buechner_

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Alrigthy then! Chapter 3 will be updated soon... Reviews are very much appreciated!

So, I'm not so sure about the fighting scene at the beginning. Was it okay? I mean, did it make sense or did you get constantly lost? I really would like to hear your thoughts on this!

(1): Hakke Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand) is a special bloodline ability in the Hyuuga clan. Basically it is a Taijutsu technique that, using the Jyuuken style, they can force their chakra through their hands into the tenketsu of the opponent's body through 126 strikes.


	3. Chapter 3

So here is chapter 3 **(now edited),**

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer, Warnings **and** Spoilers **are on First Chapter.

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

The feeling of not being in control of his body was bizarre to Naruto, though not a new sensation. He was seeing everything as if he was in a movie theater inside his head, but he could still feel and smell everything. A 3D movie theater. The feel of Hinata pressed up against him, the smell of her scent so close to him, the feel of her soft puffs of breath hitting his cheek. He guessed the fox had been able to take over his body when he was... momentarily distracted, but he had never given permission. Which meant that this was going to hurt. He had been too intoxicated with Hinata that he hadn't even noticed when the fox had taken over and now it was going to me monumentally hard to gain that back.

It scared him, but the thought was suddenly erased from his mind as the demon fox started kissing, nibbling and licking Hinata's neck. He could feel her soft, creamy skin on his lips, making his mind blank with nothing but wild desire. He felt his own hands move up to rest at her waist, and then he heard her breathing get heavier. She slowly, hesitantly brought her hand up to his chest and pushed a little, pressing herself deeper into the tree. She, of course, didn't notice the reaction her touch sent through his body, setting it on fire and dragging him further into his mind. Into a corner reserved only for the worst of situations, where his reasoning dissolves into mere whispers and a part of him, the one that _cares_, slowly drowns.

"W-W-Wait, p-please." The stuttered words were barely audible. Hinata had to find every ounce of determination she could find in her and be able to utter something, being able to make sound come out of her mouth was a victory in and on itself. Things had suddenly taken an unexpected turn of events, and she didn't exactly know what to do in situations like this one. Especially if it involved Naruto.

At first she hadn't heard the little voice telling her to stop this, she couldn't hear anything but her own heart pounding away in distress. But that voice kept coming back and screaming at her about how all this was just too strange and something was not right. Guilt started clawing at her, with big, sharp, unrelenting claws. Not something she could ignore. Naruto _was _acting atypical and she felt like she was taking advantage of him. What if he was confused or drugged, didn't know what he was doing? What if he though she was someone else? So she gathered all of her will power to push him away. However little that seemed to help things.

"S-Stop, p-please."

Kyuubi wasn't famous for being kind, understanding or patient. Quite the exact opposite of just that. He was not used to people refusing him.

Naruto saw as Kyuubi grabbed Hinata's wrists and slammed them on the rough bark above her head, leaving a small indentation on the tree, and held them there. He was not known for being gentle, either. He saw Hinata wince in surprise, and he saw as Kyuubi bought his head up to be right in front of Hinata's, leaving only a little space between them, and growl menacingly. A threat, a promised danger. Yet he could do nothing against the blinding desire that ran nonstop through his veins and left him shivering.

That's when Hinata saw it.

The crimson red eyes and pupils turned into dangerous slits. The whiskers-like birth marks on both cheeks mutated into longer, darker scratches. Lengthened and unruly locks of dirty blond hair, once a brilliant platinum. She couldn't see them, but claws dug incessantly into her wrists. At the noise, which sounded too much like a growl, Hinata couldn't help but notice that Naruto had a striking resemblance to a fox. A very pissed off fox.

Kyuubi growled once more, showing his teeth in a sign of warning, before he slowly smirked and looked Hinata up and down with a hungry look.

"You want me to stop?" He asked, voice unusually deep, and all Hinata could do was nod a 'yes', voice long since lost.

A pensive look, "Hmm…", then Kyuubi moved his face closer to Hinata's.

"See, I don't think I'll be able to. Not with you looking so damn _edible, _Hinata-chan." His smirk grew when he saw Hinata grow more puzzled and a the start of fear to appear. Sure to grow into a paralyzing terror, of that Kyuubi would make sure. After all, he also wasn't known for being pleasant.

He was having his fun teasing her and couldn't believe how easy it was being, he didn't have to do a lot to make her unstable. He wondered what it would take to make her moan, probably not much either. He slowly moved one of his hands holding her writs against the tree down her arm, past her rib cage and resting it on her hip. Sliding it slowly down the side of her body. He could hear her breathing hitch up at the little contact and smirked. His hand moved up again and it rested on her stomach.

"I wonder why you cover so much…" Kyuubi looked truly mystified, his head gently tilted to the side and his brows furrowed. He moved his hand up, his confused expression gradually transforming back to a sinister, smug smile. He grabbed the zipper of her over-sized jacket and played with it a little before looking up at her with dark, red eyes. With that he tugged on the zipper, opening the jacket unhurriedly.

Hinata gasped as she understood what Naruto was trying to do and her eyes widened. This couldn't be Naruto, she knew him and he would never do this. He was gentle, kind and careful, especially with her. He was just not the kind of person to hurt _anyone_.

Hinata wore her jacket for a reason. She thought of the jacket as a barrier, hiding her from all her fears and insecurities. As stupid and illogical as it may sound she felt that it somehow protected her. She felt like the jacket covered all her weaknesses up and hid every flaw. It made her more confident, and it provided a sense of comfort.

That jacket was what hid her when she didn't want to be seen, it was what covered her, it was what gave her a feeling of security. And Naruto was about to take all that away, uncover her and see everything she was hiding. All her flaws. She thrashed desperately and a little angrily at the idea of having what little comfort she had stripped away from her.

"N-No, s-stop it!"

Which only served in making Kyuubi both angry and amused. He pressed down on her with his body to stop her, taking her breath away at the force but she kept trying to wiggle her way out. And she didn't stop, not until she heard him groan. Completely shocked and befuddled she halted her movements abruptly. That's when she noticed something hard pressed up against her thigh. A blush crept up her face, and a surprised gasp escaped her lips.

Naruto saw- and felt and smelled and experienced as if it were him stripping her, but it wasn't, it wasn't- as Kyuubi started unzipping Hinata's jacket, and he was about to stop him before he was caught in her eyes. Those eyes that always managed to distract him. Even when they were terrified, they were still beautiful and captivating. Then she began moving and thrashing and jerking, and he felt a shock of pleasure strike down his spine. He couldn't contain his groan as she kept moving against him, harder and harder. Her movements getting more frantic by the moment. He was completely blind to everything happening around him, all he could concentrate on was the immense pleasure Hinata was providing him. All the while she was doing the best to escape. That is until she noticed exactly what it was that that was accomplishing and stopped.

Kyuubi looked down at her, ignoring completely Naruto's wondering and annoying thoughts. He just had to get stuck with the only kid in the universe that had that much hope and energy and love. Still, he had long since learned to ignore useless thoughts and filter important ones for later use. Right now, he wanted more of the pleasure, more of the exciting thrill Hinata gave him, he wanted more of _her._

"Why did you stop, Hinata_-_chan?" He made his voice deep and husky, and felt her stiffen.

With one of his hands restraining her wrists, and the other one holding her in place on her hips, he chuckled. A sense of domination washed through him and he breathed in deep and closed his eyes, savoring the tide. His hands were almost shaking at his eagerness.

He pushed his hips against hers and smirked when he felt more than heard her gasp, a groan resounding through the forest and a wince from Hinata's direction. He was going to do whatever he wanted and no one could stop him.

_"We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us." Francois Rabelais_

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That's a cliffhanger, right? Well, it's my attempt at it, anyways.

Please Review to let me know how I'm doing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer **and** Warnings **can be found in First Chapter.

**Edit:** This chapter has now been edited!

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

Distress was rapidly spreading throughout her, leaving her heart racing and the blood in her veins turn a shivering cold, and the dangerous glint in Naruto's eyes weren't helping. She was almost one hundred percent sure that this wasn't Naruto. He was like a sun to her, always smiling and always cheerful. But this person in front of her, he was almost the complete opposite. Rough, threatening, and… and scary. Very scary. But she was a ninja! A Konoha ninja. She wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything but her comrades being in danger.

His dark smirk made a shiver shake through her body.

Naruto was gasping for air as he watched the scene unfold. The shock of pleasure when Kyuubi ground his hips against Hinata's more forcefully left him trembling. A vague thought ran through Naruto's dazed mind, about being manipulated by Kyuubi. The surprising reaction he was having from mere rubbing was abnormal. Kyuubi must be doing something, making him feel everything ten-fold so he'd keep quiet and still, which was regrettably working. Or it could just be that it was Kyuubi's urgency to mate that made them both so sensible to everything.

"Don't you like how it feels, Hinata-chan?" Kyuubi asked and ground his hips against hers once more. Hinata whimpered, she didn't like how Naruto was being so aggressive but she couldn't help feeling the unwelcoming pleasure when he ground his hips yet again.

"Why won't you moan, Hinata-chan?" Kyuubi questioned her. He laughed when Hinata turned her face to the side with a pained expression. He did it again, harder, just for fun. Because that's what it was, _fun. _Fun to see her so agitated, fun to see the fear in her eyes, fun to know that Naruto couldn't do anything to stop him, fun to know that after he finished, after he was done with her, Hinata would hate Naruto and Naruto would hate himself.

Her eyes widened and she bit her lip.

He had been watching her for a long time, observing her. He knew that she liked Naruto, it's almost as if she made it obvious on purpose. And it was amazing how dense Naruto could be for not noticing it. She always blushed and stuttered when he came close to her, and said Naruto's name with an unnecessary frequency. He was annoyed with this most of the time. How it was all so cliché, _she_ would always be shy and blush and stutter. _She_ would always do _him_ favors and help _him_ with his problems. And _he _would never notice everything _she_ does for him. _He_ would always think of _her_ as a close friend and _he_ would have a crush on someone else. _He _would ask _her_ for tips and _she_ would help him even though it hurt her, because _she_ loved _him_. But then, in the end, of course, _he_ would notice _her_ and they'd have a _happy ever after_. Blah blah blah. It was all just sickenly sweet to him, too sweet.

Yet he found himself attracted to her because of it. Because of how she blushes and stutters, her innocence and naivety excites him to no end. He wants to be the one who corrupts her, the one who breaks her innocence into little pieces, impossible to put back together.

And because of Naruto's _own_ hormones, that opportunity was handed to him in a silver platter. Naruto got distracted and he just took the chance that was kindly given to him.

"Is it because you're ashamed? Or is it because you think your dear Naruto-_kun _wouldn't like that?" He smirked as he watched her eyes widen considerably.

He was going to let her know that her precious Naruto had something of great evil inside of him. He knew that Naruto was ashamed of having a demon sealed inside him, and that his childhood had been ruined because of him. That he had stood out among everyone and was hated, that, even though he didn't know yet, he had hated himself because surely he had done something wrong for everyone to despise him so. And Kyuubi would take advantage of that. Again, silver platter.

Hinata felt overwhelmed, for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. Now she knew for sure that this, in fact, wasn't Naruto. It was, in a way, a great relieve. She was right after all. But it was bad news at the same time, this meant that something was possessing Naruto and maybe, just maybe, he couldn't stop it.

"W-What are y-you?"

What was that? It couldn't possibly be! Hinata afraid of her beloved Naruto? But, Naruto was a _good _person. Ha! This just made Kyuubi's year, a memory that's sure to make him laugh for a century ahead.

"Are… are you _afraid _Hinata?" His voice thick with mock and his eyes wide as if in disbelieve.

"But you can't possibly be afraid of your precious little Naruto-kun!" Sarcasm dripped from his every word, sour enough to make Hinata wince. Although, right now, it seemed like it didn't take a lot to make her wince.

Naruto, still stuck inside his own head, scowled. Now that Kyuubi had stopped his movements and some of his blood had returned to its rightful place, he could think a little clearly. This had gone too far, _had_ gone too far the moment Kyuubi managed to find a leeway and took over his body, but Kyuubi was planning on making Hinata upset and he wouldn't have that_. _He never liked seeing Hinata upset. It pained him whenever tears rolled down her cheeks. Of course, Hinata didn't know that Naruto had seen her crying, he knew that if she did now she'd be ashamed of herself and he didn't want that. He had had to restrain himself from running to her and holding her close to him.

He preferred to see her smile and hear her laugh. He did everything he could to make it a frequent experience, he acted like an idiot, made a fool out of himself, made stupid jokes and even got hit my Sakura-chan often and hard enough to develop brain damage. All just to make her happy because, as corny as it may sound, it made _him_ happy. He couldn't help but smile when she laughed, or grin when she blushed, because there was no questioning it anymore, it was obvious. Hinata was everything to him, and if he let this go any further, he would lose her. And he wasn't about to take any chances.

"S-Stop it," there was the tiniest hint of anger in her voice and Kyuubi knew he had hit a nerve, if she had any.

"**Kyuubi, stop it. Give me my body back, **_**now." **_Naruto's voice was low and calm, which strangely, made it sound more menacing. He was planning on taking control back and he made that clear.

"What was that?" Kyuubi meant it for both of them. He drew his face closer to Hinata and she immediately grew nervous.

"I can't hear you," he whispered, making Hinata look down and Naruto even angrier.

"**I said, give me my body back!"**

"I…I-"

"Still can't quite hear you, Hinata-chan," Kyuubi's sneer only grew by the second. Hinata looked up with a small frown of her own, but her stutter didn't go away.

"L-Leave me alone!"

"**Leave her alone!"**

Kyuubi's face scrunched up in amusement, it was as if they had it practiced.

She kicked him in the shin, since it was the only thing her foot could reach because of their close proximity. However, he still didn't budge and Hinata was becoming desperate. She didn't try to slip or wiggle her way out again, she had learned her lesson. So instead she quickly dropped down on the ground and crawled her way away from him. She knew that she looked exceptionally pathetic but it was like all her years of ninja training was wiped clean from her memory and this was the only way left that she knew of. In a matter of minutes Hinata went back to being the weak, unreliable twelve year old she had worked so hard to leave behind.

Why couldn't Naruto gain the control over his body back? He hadn't given Kyuubi permission and he wasn't angry when Kyuubi took over, either. Were lust and desire really that strong enough to give Kyuubi the control of Naruto's body? If it was, then he was in trouble, he hasn't quite…learned how to gain control back after an angry break down. And if it turned out that losing to Kyuubi because of lust instead of anger would make it a whole new level of hard for Naruto to gain back his body... then he wasn't sure what would happen. Wasn't sure that he would be able to win back what he had lost.

Kyuubi's scowl turned into another one of his dark smirks, which seemed so out of place in Naruto's face, when he saw Hinata drop down and crawl. He let her get away on purpose to see what she would do next.

Once he saw she planned on crawling all the way back to safety, he decided he would let her get her hopes up. He always enjoyed the look of utter disbelieve and disappointed on her face, it made her look beautiful in a twisted kind of way.

Hinata had thought that once she started crawling, that thing in Naruto's body would stop her and continue his sick torturing. But she found herself still crawling and, stupid of her, she thought he had gotten bored with her or Naruto had, somehow, returned to help her. She had let her hopes up, just to have them crushed the next minute.

He could see how she started feeling relieved, how she thought that he would leave her alone. It was foolish of her, it would take a lot more for him to be satisfied. And that's when he decided to stop her. In one swift move he was standing in front of her still crawling form, a leer tugging at his lips. She looked up at him fast enough to get whiplash and gasped, and Kyuubi found it endearing how she didn't see it coming. It was quite obvious he wouldn't let her go just like that.

Hinata was still on her hands and knees with her eyes focused on the ground when a pair of shoes came into view. She almost let out a disappointed sigh, it was just _so close_. She saw that she still had a chance to escape, so she quickly made a move to sit on her rear and then another one to stand up.

As soon as she started to stand up a heavy weight pinned her on the ground and knocked her breath away. Her skull thudded and bounced off the ground, making her see stars. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes just to see that the thing possessing Naruto was on top of her. His knees on either side of her thighs and his hands on both sides of her face, so she could clearly see his face and those unfamiliar red, angry eyes.

Naruto was getting more and more frustrated by the second and Kyuubi was just making him angrier. He needed to find a way to have his body again, but he has never been in this situation before, ever. And frankly, he has no clue what could help him.

"Now, now Hinata-chan. Where you trying to escape?" Kyuubi chastised Hinata in a voice that a six year old would find condescending.

Kyuubi roughly grabbed Hinata's face with one hand to keep her in place. He moved his mouth next to her ear and whispered:

"You can't escape from me Hinata. You never will."

He smirked once before crashing his lips to hers.

_Forget the world behind you  
Escape the clouding fright  
Snake teeth through your flesh  
Poison venom of it's descent.  
Spiders infest your weary mind  
Pain infliction, trickles down your spine  
Massive twist in life's dear end  
You didn't run fast enough-  
my pathetic friend.  
by Claire Carlson_

* * *

IMPORTANT: I probably won't be able to update any chapters in some time. Not because I'm lazy (even though I am), but because it's the holidays and I'll be visiting my family. But I'll try my best to sneak in my laptop and update a chapter or two.

Reviews are appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Oh. My. Friggin'. God!

I know it's been very, _very, _long (one freaking month?!) and I am extremely (a whole new level of extreme, because I realize that I use that word a lot) sorry. But, c'mon! I mean it was the Holidays, you know, a time to spend with the family and relax bla bla bla! And then came New Year, you know, go 2010! And I want all of you to now (I'm hoping more than two people are reading my crazy talk...er writing but...) that I did the best I could to finish this chapter. It took a lot of sneaking around and looking like a weirdo locking myself in bathrooms with my laptop (NOT COOL!), but that's just how much I love you all! And, by the way:

MERRY (LATE) CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WOHOO!

Since I'm already using a lot of exclamation points and have nothing else to say, just trying to seem cool by writing a lot for my a/ns...

Enjoy!

**WARNING:** my stupid yet smexy beta did not have time to beta this story, she's sort of in a…pickle. So this story will not be beta-ed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

Hinata was frozen, every muscle tense and unmoving. The shock was too big for her to even notice that her arms were free. That she could still try to escape, still try and get away from this horrible nightmare.

Or maybe she did know. Maybe she didn't _want _for Naruto to stop. It felt ... kind of good. She now knew that whoever or whatever was kissing her wasn't Naruto, but god, did she wish the real Naruto would do this to her. How many times had she dreamed of this moment, Naruto kissing her? She has spent days daydreaming about it, she had thought that it would be the most romantic moment of her life, her first kiss with her first and only love.

She imagined that it would be sweet, gentle, and full of love. That she would hear bells or fireworks inside her head, making the moment all the more romantic. She thought that it didn't matter when or where it happened, that either way it would be special. Because it was Naruto, because she was sure it wouldn't be anyone else.

She was wrong. This wasn't Naruto and this wasn't special, sure she would probably never forget it but not in a good way. It felt… it felt wrong, too. The way he kissed her was aggressive and hungry; it was nothing like Naruto, nothing like what she imagined. 'He' did it hard enough to make Hinata cut the inside of her upper lip with her teeth and her lips were probably going to bruise. She didn't want this to be her first kiss, she wanted it to be Naruto, hoped fiercely that it would be Naruto. But now it was ruined, she was being kissed by a... by a monster! This was not Naruto, and she didn't want to be kissed by someone that wasn't Naruto.

Naruto found himself, once again, watching. His expression was one of confusion. He felt something soft and moist on his lips but then, after a moment, the feeling disappeared. He immediately missed the feeling, it felt... right. It felt nice on his lips, and he wanted to feel it again.

He looked into his own eyes and saw that Hinata had her eyes closed shut, her head turned to the side. Her lips looked red and a bit bruised. He looked at himself and saw his face dangerously close to Hinata's, his lips almost touching her cheek. The confusion quickly faded. D-Did... did the kyuubi just kiss Hinata? Shock quickly turned into anger.

**"What the fuck are you doing!?"**

Hinata's head was turned, which caused the kyuubi to kiss her cheek instead, and her eyes were closed. Her lips were slowly being tucked inside her mouth, as if hoping it would go unnoticed.

The kyuubi smirked when Hinata hid her lips from him, he knew she would resist. He just didn't know for how long she would just stay there, frozen. He thought he couldn't get any more amused but then he heard Naruto scream, and it seemed like his face would break in two if he kept smirking like that. It seemed he had been doing that a lot lately, smirking.

He chuckled darkly and quickly secured Hinata's hands, holding them on either side of her head. He had left them free on purpose to see what she would do. Apparently, nothing. He couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful. Her hair spread on the ground, all tangled and messy, practically pleading for mercy, and so, so vulnerable...

And then when he had grabbed her hands, there it was. That surprised expression on her face that always seemed to satisfy him. Was she too distracted to notice that her hands were free? What had she thought he was going to do? Just turn around and walk away? No way, not when he was this close to having _all_ of her. And his way.

**"Shut up!" **Naruto's blood began boiling. He wouldn't let the kyuubi talk about Hinata like she was a thing. A thing he could use. He will not let the kyuubi lay a finger on her.

"What's the matter Hinata-chan?" he blew on her ear, which made her shiver, and whispered. He smirked when the shiver left goose-bumps on her skin. He licked the shell of her ear and created more shivers.

"You don't want me to kiss you?" his amused smirk turned dark. He looked into her eyes with lust written all over them. His hands moved all the way to her shoulders.

"You don't want _Naruto-kun _to kiss you?" her eyes widened and she quickly turned her head to look at him. He took advantage of Hinata's surprised state and slightly gaping mouth to smash his lips against hers again and sneak his tongue in.

He roughly ran his tongue over every single inch of her mouth, not letting anything go un-explored by him. He took his time to look at Hinata's expression and was rewarded by the look of utter fright forming in her face. Hmm... how nice.

Hinata's eyes widened considerably, was that a tongue she felt? She gasped, stupid of her, because that only made 'him' press more against her. She needed to find a way to make him stop, to make this whole thing stop. She pondered on what to do, coming up blank. What could she possibly do? She hadn't noticed that she had stayed frozen again while she was in deep thought of an escape plan.

Naruto's fists were shaking, his knuckles white. His jaw was clenched, and he couldn't tear his eyes from the scene happening right in front of him. Who did that stupid, damned demon fox think he is!? He couldn't just go and kiss Hinata like that! Hinata was his, and his only!...Wait, what? Hinata was...his? Yes! She was his, and only _his_!

**"STOP!"**

The kyuubi paid no attention to Naruto's meaningless whines and growled. He didn't like how Hinata was motionless, no reaction. He wanted her to resist, to try and escape again. But instead all he got was her frozen form, and that wasn't entertaining. Well, he'll just need to make her react one way or the other. With his hands still tightly restraining her shoulders, he slightly lifted her and slammed her further into the ground.

That made Hinata's back smash against the hard ground and hit her head. She shut her eyes and groaned in pain. She didn't realize that she had arched her back and that made her breasts rub against 'his' chest. Once she recovered she looked at 'him' but his face was tilted down, making his hair cover his eyes.

"You should have learned by now, Hinata..." The kyuubi looked up and his eyes seemed to be more... alive? They were somewhat darker. He had an evil smirk and a dark chuckle rumbled past his chest.

"Not to tempt me."

The kyuubi's patience seemed to be running thin, he wanted to have some more fun but Hinata wasn't reacting anymore. He had greatly enjoyed how she had either, been innocently shocked or had bravely resist. So he would have to skip some of the teasing and go straight to the best part. The part he had been saving for last.

Hinata was hoping he would get bored with her and leave her here, traumatized and frightened. She wanted to cry so badly, tears were on the edge of falling and she was quietly starting to sob. But that little voice had come back and it was telling her not cry, not to show vulnerability. She didn't understand at first but that voice had been right so far, and she wasn't going to risk not listening. It said that he liked seeing her suffer, seeing her being afraid. That if she cried, it would be giving him what he wants.

The kyuubi watched as another emotionless mask appeared on Hinata's face, but he knew she was faking it. He knew that she was crying inside, slowly falling apart. And he loved watching every single part of it.

He started kissing her neck, from her jaw line to her shoulder blade. Slowly repeating. He wanted to distract her and, apparently, it was working. Her fingers would twitch and she would fist her hand every now and then. She would take a deep breath and then stay quiet. So he took the opportunity and with one hand he took out a kunai from his weapon pouch. He brought it up, careful that Hinata wouldn't notice anything, and she didn't but someone else did.

**"What are you doing?" **there was real curiosity in Naruto's voice, but the anger was still present.

He ignored Naruto once again and checked on Hinata to be sure she was completely oblivious. She had her eyes shut closed. As if trying to tune everything out, how innocent of her.

He noticed that he never really got rid of that bloody jacket of hers. It was dangling on her shoulders and the zipper was half way undone, challenging him. He could see a tiny mesh tank top, and some bindings underneath it. The tank top she wore underneath was sticking to her like a second layer of skin, giving him a perfect peek at her cleavage. Tempting him.

The whole thing just made him more and more eager. He carefully and silently fully unzipped her jacket, making sure she didn't notice anything. Once the annoying, covering piece of clothing was out of the way, he took his time to admire the beauty in front of him. Her tempting curves, petite figure, generous breasts, soft skin, silky hair and, most of all, her visible innocence. Simply mesmerizing.

Naruto was all of a sudden silent. The kyuubi was right, Hinata was mesmerizing, beautiful...No, he had to stop him. But... what if when took control of his body back, Hinata would run away from him? What if she wouldn't accept him? What if she was afraid of him? He couldn't take that, that would be far too much. He couldn't lose her, not like this. But, what if he didn't stop the kyuubi? Hinata would be scared for life; she would never be able to forget it. And he couldn't live knowing he had done this to Hinata.

He couldn't live with that. He would prefer Hinata to hate him, a hundred times more, than for her to get hurt. He didn't care if she completely despised him after, he would stop the kyuubi and hope Hinata would forgive him. And if she didn't forgive him, he wouldn't blame her because she had all the right to hate him. All the reason to be afraid of him.

**"She's mine! Let her go!" **this time the kyuubi decided to respond to Naruto's stupid declaration.

_"She's mine now, and I'm not planning on letting her go kit. You might want to close your eyes for this" _the dark chuckle he let out echoed menacingly throughout Naruto's mind. And he knew that this just made Naruto angrier. But that's exactly what he wanted, to make him so angry that he goes mad, that he can't control himself anymore.

He was still kissing her neck, nice and slow. He didn't want any more distractions, the time for teasing was over and now he was going to make sure he got what he wanted all along. He wanted _her, _all of her. He wanted what made her who she is, he wanted her innocence. It was something he longed for ever since she caught his eye. He wanted her to remember him as the one who ripped her from her innocence, her sweet, sweet innocence. And once he had it, he wasn't giving it back. Ever.

Hinata could still feel the feathery kisses 'he' was leaving up and down her neck but other than that she was completely clueless to everything else, and that's exactly what she was aiming for. She hadn't given up yet, she was just trying out a different... technique. 'He' liked to see her react to what he did to her. He liked to see her suffer, she didn't understand why. Maybe it was some kind of sick, twisted turn-on for him?

So now she would just stay there, completely still. She would make him not want her, that was her master plan. It may sound stupid, but if you had a toy and it stopped being fun, wouldn't you throw it away or simply ignore it? Yes, she was comparing herself to a toy.

Her eyes shot open when she felt a cold, somewhat sharp touch near the hollow of her throat. She turned to look and what she saw had her sweating and panicking. A kunai was tracing a lazy pattern from her throat to the hem of her tank top. Her eyes widened even more, why wasn't her jacket covering her? Why in the world was she half naked?!

The demon fox chuckled when Hinata had, once again, a look of utter shock. The feeling of dominance was almost overwhelming, but he could handle it. With one last smirk he gripped the kunai and slashed it across her tiny tank top. No more waiting.

**"NO!"**

The only thing that was preventing the kyuubi the whole view of Hinata was the bindings she was using. He liked his lips in anticipation, he could very easily get rid of those bindings and enjoy his prey, because that's what she was, his prey. Insecure, vulnerable and weak. Weak. Just like he wanted and needed her to be. Perfect.

Naruto clenched his jaw, this was far too much. He closed his eyes in concentration, preparing to take back what was rightfully his. His body and Hinata. Because Hinata has always been his, even if he just noticed, and he wouldn't let anyone take her away from him. Only Hinata could do that, if she didn't want him then he would leave her alone. But he would never stop loving her. It was impossible to do such a thing.

He started feeling strange tingles, first in his fingers and then moving past his hand. He didn't dare open his eyes in case that caused him to be distracted. Hinata was down to only her bottoms and bindings and he feared that if he saw her like that, his concentration would be thrown out the window, possibly never coming back. So he concentrated on making the strange sensation grow past his elbow. He took one little peek at his hand and tried moving one of his fingers. He saw that his finger did move and he also saw the little flash of confusion cross the kyuubi's face before it disappeared. All he needed to do now was keep concentrating on his will to save Hinata, and take control back. Piece of cake.

Panic started crawling into Hinata. This was too much, she couldn't handle it anymore. This couldn't get any further, she had to stop him. If she didn't she wouldn't forgive herself.

"N-No!" Hinata slipped her hands from his strong hold and gathered all her strength to push 'him' off. It took a lot of power to make 'him' budge and even then it wasn't enough. So she pushed once more, digging her fingers into 'his' chest, with a grunt.

Hinata was able to move him enough to make a small space between them for a chance to escape. And she took it. She rolled and stumbled away from 'him', she risked it and ran as fast as she could. She disappeared into the forest, worried only about escaping and nothing else. She didn't have time to think about what would happen next.

The kyuubi just stood there for a moment before growling and punching the tree, leaving a hole and cracks in it.

"God damn it!" he hissed a scowl forming on Naruto's features. And _just _when it was getting good.

Naruto saw this with a relived smile growing larger and larger. Hinata was able to escape the kyuubi right on time. Now he would just take his body back and apologize to Hinata, hoping she would forgive him. He sighed and opened his mouth, about to demand his body back, again. But instead his eyes widened in panic and shock. He felt and saw a familiar red chakra starting to consume his body, and all that relieve was gone as fast as it came.

**"What are you doing!? Are you crazy!? Stop this!" **but his attempts at stopping the kyuubi were futile. He was seriously doomed this time. Maybe he could have stopped him before, but know...

A dark smirk slowly made its way towards the kyuubi's face. The red chakra grew more and more pronounced and soon a tail formed. It's like he said before, he was going to have his fun with her and no one would stop him, no one.

Let the fun begin…

_"Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed; the only animal that is never satisfied" by__Henry George_

* * *

I know the ending was a little… you know, but I did my best with the little Internet I have (yep! Another _great _excuse!) and the massive writer's block attack (ah! There you go, another one!).

It may be a while for the next chapter, since I am currently being a victim of writer's block, but I will try to finish it as soon as I can.

Again, sorry for making you wait a month for this chapter, but as you can see (I hope) I have made it longer than the other chapters (not counting the terribly long a/n) as a gift.

ARIGATO FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 6

Alright! I've been taking longer on updating my wonderfully awesome chapter (… hehe…), so as a reward I have been making my best to make them longer (and better?). I hope at least some people notice my very, very hard efforts on making all my reviewers happy.

Enjoy!

**WARNING:** my stupid yet smexy beta did not have time to beta this story, she's sort of in a…pickle. So this story will not be beta-ed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Are**

_You_

Afraid?

* * *

Trees zoomed past Hinata as she jumped from tree branch to tree branch. Her breathing was erratic and she was constantly slipping, still dazed and unbalanced. Her eyes were glazed over with panic and fear. They were moist with tears that were trying to escape, but she refused to cry. This wasn't a time for crying.

A little rustle in a bush below had her gasping and stumbling back. She quickly hid behind a little bush and covered her mouth with both of her hands to restrain herself from screaming. If she screamed then 'he' would know she was there, and she was sure she didn't have enough strength, mentally and physically, to escape from 'him' again. A little lone tear escaped her eyes, but she paid little attention to it, her eyes a hundred percent focused on the little rustling.

A squirrel came out running with a little acorn in its hands. It stopped and looked at her badly hid form curiously before jumping into a tree and disappearing into the leaves. Hinata slowly let her hands fall off her mouth and took a deep shaky breath. Then she broke into a fit of hysterics, her sobs echoing off the unnaturally empty forest. She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to somehow hold herself together.

Her crying kept getting louder and louder. She wanted to keep crying, to keep feeling miserable for a few more minutes but she stooped herself. Her crying would probably attract 'him' to where she was and she didn't know what she would do then if that happened. After a couple of moments she stood up and supported her weight on a tree trunk before finally being able to function properly. She immediately resumed her frantic jumping, trying to ignore that same little voice that told her to stop running. To stop being so weak and pathetic and for once in her life stand her ground. To fight!

But… but she couldn't. Even though she was sure that it wasn't Naruto, at least not mentally, it was still his body and it still looked like him. And she couldn't bring herself to harm him, in any way, even if it meant harming herself. She would rather hurt herself than hurt him, and that's exactly what she was planning on doing.

With that last thought, she decided to ignore the voice, even though it has been right so far, and sped up her running.

* * *

"**Fox, you need to stop this! It's insane!" **Naruto pleaded. This was dangerous, _extremely _dangerous. He couldn't let another tail form, it would give him even more power and it would completely destroy his body. Hinata wouldn't have a chance against Kyuubi if he did, not that she had any already but it would just be even easier for Kyuubi to hurt her.

Naruto knew that Hinata was a strong kuniochi, despite her innocent, vulnerable look. It was dangerous to underestimate her, and he learned that the hard way, unfortunately. But even though he knew how strong Hinata was Kyuubi could easily kill her in a matter of seconds.

Kyuubi just ignored him and he cursed silently. He saw as Kyuubi dashed after Hinata, the speed blurring everything around him. As Kyuubi quickly came to a stop and crouched behind a bush, he heard a quiet sobbing growing louder and louder. He narrowed his eyes and saw just who exactly it was. He heard the sinister chuckle coming from himself and he thought he could hear his heart cracking. Slowly breaking.

Hinata was crying… and all because of him. He had sworn to himself to never let anyone make her cry, yet he was the reason for those broken sobs to grow even louder. His throat constricted painfully. He was the reason for her to be clutching at herself in such agony. He was the reason and cause for all those tears splattering on the ground, for the moist streams on her cheeks. His heart cracked further when she covered her own mouth, trying to quiet down her sobs.

"**H-Hinata…" **Naruto raised his hand towards Hinata, wanting to comfort her. Wanting to dry her tears and hold her close, to make her forget everything. He had to do something, _anything._ He couldn't stand watching her cry her heart out. But it was useless, he couldn't seek control, not with two tails already formed. He couldn't even _try._ But a look at Hinata made him start thinking of ways. Ways to stop all this, all of their pain. He had to help her, he just had to.

After a few moments Hinata's hysteric crying turned into shaky intakes breath. She stood up, her knees shaking, and then took off into the branches. Kyuubi silently followed. He didn't know that seeing her crying would make him feel so… powerful! He knew he was why she had been crying, breaking down right in front of him. Swallowed up in pain and agony. But he never knew that her misery could make him feel so good. It made his blood boil excitement.

He finally decided to make his presence known after a few moments of following Hinata and enjoying some of the sobs that managed to escape from her, the constant tripping, and the moistness that didn't seem to leave her cheeks. He smirked as he ran right beside to her, creating an anonymous shadow that quickly disappeared. He was satisfied when he heard her terrified gasp and saw her take a few steps back, falling off the tree branch she had been jumping on and landing on her behind. He would play with her fear, with her emotions.

Hinata groaned in pain but quickly ignored it and stood up looking around blindly. A thought occurred to her and she cursed at herself for being so stupid. How could she have not remembered that? It would've made everything so much easier for her! She made the familiar hand seal and realized that her hands were shaking. She stilled them and refused to let show how scared she was, just like her legs were doing now.

"Byakugan!" her vision instantly turned three-sixty degrees and she could see everything clearer. She immediately started searching around to make sure no one was following her when she sensed a strange chakra to her side. She turned to face it directly, even though she didn't need to with her special bloodline ability now activated, and saw a chakra so powerful that it had her stumbling back and falling once again. Her eyes widened in utter shock, something she found herself doing a lot lately, and unconsciously backed away from it. The chakra was enormous and red instead of the normal blue, the power visible only to her eyes was like nothing she has seen before. She thought the chakra looked like a fox, but quickly dismissed the though. Why would a chakra look like a fox? All that sexual harassment and traumatizing was clearly starting to get to her. The chakra seemed to be giving out an intimidating aura, and it seemed to work on her quite efficiently. Her whole frame was shaking now, and she cursed herself for being so weak. So pathetic.

Kyuubi wasn't expecting for Hinata to use her byakugan, he thought that she was far too traumatized to think coherently and remember that one advantage she had. The fact that she hadn't used it until now proved him right to an extent. Oh well, he could still use this to his advantage. He knew that her byakugan gave her the ability to see chakra, so he made the red chakra surrounding him more pronounced and took a step forward, not quite stepping out of the shadows yet. A wave of satisfaction rushed over him when he saw Hinata cowering in fear, trembling on the ground, looking so afraid… and she only saw his chakra. He couldn't wait for the look on her face when she knew what Naruto had inside of him, what Naruto _is_. A monster.

He took another step forward and stepped on a broken branch, the snapping sound echoing throughout the forest. And soon after the snapping a shaky gasp could be heard.

"**Stop right there! Don't take another step! Or I swear to god I'll****-****" **Naruto couldn't finish his threat because Kyuubi interrupted him.

"_You'll what? You can't do anything, just watch. Watch as I slowly break her, as I make her tremble in fear and cry in agony. You can't do anything, Naruto, nothing." _Kyuubi had never talked to him by his first name, not that he remembered. It had always been 'kit', always. But that wasn't what shocked him the most, that barely registered in his mind. Because what Kyuubi said made his eyes widen and take a step back.

"**I-I…"**

Kyuubi was right… he couldn't do anything. He was weak and useless and pathetic. He couldn't even control his own fucking mind! He couldn't do anything right, he was always screwing everything up. He was too much of an idiot to save the one person he loved more than anything. It said he let a stupid demon fox control him, and he was too weak to stop him.

He has been watching the whole time. He hasn't done anything to stop it other than bitching to Kyuubi and screaming out empty threats. He has just been standing there, and watching. Watching as Kyuubi hurt Hinata, as he made her crumble down in pain, right in front of them. Right in front of _him. Him _who swore to never let anyone hurt her. Pathetic.

Kyuubi took every step agonizingly slow. Step by step, he came more into view, out of the shadows hiding him from her. Step by step, closer to her, closer to what he's been waiting for a long time. Closer to catching his prey.

Hinata shacking increased with every slow step the strange chakra took. She hadn't noticed that she wasn't using her byakugan anymore, but she didn't care. What use would that be, if the mysterious chakra was revealing itself to her willingly? She wanted to keep running, she wanted to keep escaping. But for some reason she couldn't move, other than the constant shaking. Her feet wouldn't move and her arms seemed to be frozen. All she could do now was just sit and watch. Watch.

Hinata's eyes widened more and her mouth hanged open, as the person who owned the strange powerful chakra slowly came out of the shadows. As he slowly came out from the dark corner of the forest and revealed himself to her. She froze all over and she realized that _now _she couldn't move. That _now _she really was stuck to the ground. Her shaking had stopped immediately, and she could feel her mouth slowly closing. She wanted to say something, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But the sight in front of her prevented her from breathing. And for some reason, she couldn't force herself to be afraid, or angry, or… for some reason a wave of relive washed over her. Taking her breath away.

There, a few steps in front of her stood Naruto, or rather, the thing possessing him. Completely surrounded by a red chakra, the chakra she had been so terrified of before. The chakra that had her trembling and shaking in fear, but was now extremely happy about. She could see more clearly now that the chakra had indeed taken some sort of fox-like form, with ears and two tails. But she didn't focus so much on the chakra, she was too distracted by Naruto, by 'him'. 'His' birth marks had gotten even darker and longer and 'his hair was unruly and spiky. 'His' nails looked more like claws, and even as 'he' was standing there, all calm and confident with a smirk plastered on 'his' face… she wasn't afraid anymore.

Her mind started to connect the dots, all the clues that had been standing right in front of her. Naruto _was_ being possessed, but now she knew by what. Or rather, by _who_. That explained everything! His huge similarity to a fox, his depressing childhood, why every villager treated him badly, why her father didn't want her near him… it explained absolutely everything! She found herself smiling, smiling like she hadn't done in quite a while now. This happiness she was feeling was almost too much for her, and she gave a pat on her back for figuring it out and a slap at the back of her head for not realizing it earlier, at the same time.

But she still wanted to make sure. She wanted to know for sure that she wasn't just jumping at conclusions. She quickly hid her smile, trying to fight it back and ignore the eagerness bubbling inside of her.

"Who… Who are you?" She cursed at herself for not remembering to stutter and sound afraid. She sounded completely calm and curious, a hint of happiness in her voice. She had planned on making 'him' think that she was still frightened, so he would answer her honestly. And she just ruined her plan.

She saw as his smirk slowly faded and was replaced by a frown, which quickly tuned into an angry, cold sneer. Oops…

"_What is love? Love is when one person knows all of your secrets... your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows... and yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you; even if the rest of the world does." __- Unknown_

* * *

Alrighty then! Chapter 6… done! Now I know I'm getting slower on updating (sorry) and I'll try to write/type faster. But, see, I have a life, or well, try to have one. And even though everyone is telling me that my attempts at having one are useless, I still have hope.

So, I will be busy trying to have a life (one that isn't 'sorry') so my updating will be rather slow. Sorry!

Chapter 7 coming… probably not so soon…

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING:** my stupid yet smexy beta did not have time to beta this story, she's sort of in a…pickle. So this story will not be beta-ed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Are**

_You _

Afraid?

* * *

"Who…Who are you?"

Hinata inwardly cursed at herself, and tried desperately to hide her growing smile. She knew she was in terrible danger, now that she had identified who exactly was 'possessing' Naruto she knew that this wasn't something to take lightly. She knew she had to be careful with what she said and did if she wanted to live to see the next day. But instead she was incredibly happy and relieved. She felt like laughing, singing and dancing around like a complete fool.

But the angry, cold, steel-like sneer and glare on Naruto's handsome face told her that that wouldn't be a very good idea. The cold expression most definitely did not belong on Naruto's face, it seemed odd and out of place. She was so used to see him wearing a cheery expression and goofy smile that the frown made him look like an entirely different person.

She made a huge mistake by showing 'him' that she wasn't afraid anymore, especially not after discovering who 'he' was. She should have acted scared… maybe even disappointed. She should have mirrored all those resenting emotions the villagers used to have for Naruto, and sometimes even now too. Apparently the fact that he was such a strong shinobi that did everything he could to protect his village still made him a monster to some people. Hinata thought it was ridiculous to think Naruto as a monster. _Naruto_? A _monster_? The thought made her want to laugh!

Naruto fell with a baffled expression.

He understood that Hinata probably knew that Kyuubi was sealed inside him, being forever a curse. He knew that if she hadn't known before, seeing him like this would definitely make her know. The fox-like, red chakra, darkened whiskers on his cheeks and crimson slits for eyes were huge hints that he had a monster inside of him. He was sure she knew.

He understood why Kyuubi was _this _angry. He had never seen him so furious before. He knew that Kyuubi was hiding his emotions, probably not wanting to ruin his plan anymore than it already was. But he could feel him shaking in anger. He could feel that Kyuubi was about ready to destroy the whole forest.

But what confused him was the small smile she was trying to hide. Why would she be smiling? Surely she knew he was a monster, she probably knew that being near him in this state was extremely dangerous, that she had zero chance in escaping now no matter how much she tried… So what was her reason for being so happy? And… why was she asking who he was?

Kyuubi was asking himself the same question. Why in the hell was she so happy? He just showed her how much of a monster Naruto was, he showed her how powerful he is, he showed her she had no way of escaping! She should be terrified, crying and desperately hoping for help, _not_ smiling, and looking so happy. What happened to the pathetic weak little girl he had just seen crying, who couldn't even support herself? All the trouble he had gone through just for this? No! He wouldn't let it all get ruined like this, he would _make _her fear him. One way or another.

Who was he? Oh, he would tell her exactly who he was. Maybe that would make her understand just how frightened she should be, maybe that would make her cower in fear again.

"Who am I?" Kyuubi barked out a bitter laugh and Hinata didn't have to force herself to flinch. But she found that as she looked into 'his' darkened, red eyes… she didn't feel afraid. She didn't feel the need to look away and break eye contact, but she did. Because even though she wasn't afraid, it didn't mean there wasn't anything to fear. She knew that making 'him' any angrier would be a death wish.

"I am the nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi. I am the _monster _who nearly destroyed this whole village, the one who killed _millions _of brave shinobis and kunochis. I am the one who killed the Fourth Hokage and was then sealed inside an ignorant baby." As Kyuubi talked his voice became angrier and his face began showing little glimpses of emotion. Hinata saw as anger flashed dangerously in his eyes and then became blank again, before smirking. She inwardly sighed in relieve as her hopeful suspicions were cleared and had to remember herself not to show it. This _was_ after all Kyuubi, he could very easily kill her.

Anger boiled deep inside him as he remembered his tragic defeat and he cursed the Fourth for ruining his reputation like this and sealing him inside some useless baby, which just _had_ to be Naruto Uzumaki. He quickly regained his composure and focused on making his prey know her place once again.

He quickly disappeared and reappeared right behind Hinata. He leaned close to her and tauntingly whispered in her ear.

"I am your worst nightmare."

"**NO!!"**

Hinata could practically hear the smirk in his voice but when she gasped and turned around to look there was no one there. The gasp hadn't been faked, she was sincerely surprised. The speed made him completely invincible to the human eye and she admired the power Kyuubi had while being trapped in a teenage body. She instantly tensed when she sensed a presence behind her again.

"Behind you, Hinata-_chan,_" Kyuubi noticed her tensing as he got even closer. His tongue darted out to licked the shell of her ear. She tensed even more as he blew lightly on her ear and then nibbled on her earlobe. She was intoxicating him and he wanted to keep going, he wanted to see how far he could go before she stopped him. He wanted to see how much she could take before she broke.

He disappeared once again, only to reappear right in front of her, noses touching, lips almost brushing, breath mixing together… mind fogging with lust. Animalistic lust.

Hinata took a shaky breath and clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. Kyuubi had appeared _right in front of her_. Close enough that she could smell his minty breath, she could almost taste it. And his proximity was making her dizzy. She would have normally pulled away, stumbled pack, tried to push him off but… he was wearing Naruto's face and body. That fact made everything a million times harder, it seemed shallow and selfish, and she knew that. Yet, she could never refuse Naruto, or in this case, a demon in Naruto's body. He was her weakness and she had a feeling that Kyuubi knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how weak Hinata could turn whenever she got close to Naruto, and he was using that to his advantage.

She had, somehow, managed to regain enough strength to refuse him when he had kissed her for the first time. It wasn't easy put she had kept reminding herself that there was something definitely wrong with Naruto, that he wouldn't do something like this. And now she knew that there _was_ something wrong with him, it was the demon. But it still didn't change the fact that it was Naruto's body, Naruto's face and… Naruto's lips.

Naruto wasn't controlling what he did, it was Kyuubi. Hinata couldn't help but feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness when she realized that Naruto wasn't the one who wanted to kiss her, he wasn't the one who held so much lust for her. And she hated herself for feeling that way. She knew Naruto didn't feel the same she did, but when he had kissed her, even though it was forceful and unsuspected, she felt so much want in it. It had caught her off guard and a little seed hope had flowered within her. When he kissed her the second time it grew without her permission. She couldn't help it… not when it was Naruto.

Naruto was completely devastated… Kyuubi just told Hinata everything. Now she will hate him for sure just like all of the other villagers, if everything else hadn't been enough then this was all it took. Just a few words could destroy him.

"**No, no, no, no, **_**no**_**!" **

This… this was it. It was the end to the carefully growing bond between him and Hinata. It was all lost, their friendship was completely ruined. All because of Kyuubi, he just took it ripped it to tiny pieces. Never to be put back together, never to be fixed.

Naruto was sure that _now _there was absolutely no space for any more scars in his heart. Not with this one that took up all the space, not with one that will continue gushing blood. He was sure that that wound couldn't be stitched back, there was no cure for this new disease plaguing his heart… just like him. There was no cure for him, he will always, _always _be a monster. No matter how much he tried.

He could fill tears beginning to spill, and he didn't even try to hold them back. Because it would be useless, he couldn't hold back any more tears. He knew he would snap some day and apparently that day has come. And all because of a demon who couldn't control his hormones! All because he was too weak to do anything about having the love of his life being taken away from him!

The sorrow turned into rage. A rage he had still to learn to control.

"**KYUUBI! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" **Everything turned red, his blood boiled, his knuckles turned white and he… he couldn't think of anything else other than this urge to kill, which was quickly intensifying.

"**YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! FOR **_**EVERYTHING!"**_

The tingling Naruto had felt when he tried to gain control of his body before the two tails formed had come back. Only it wasn't tingling and it wasn't only his arms anymore. His whole body was shaking.

Kyuubi frowned and stepped away from Hinata. Naruto was distracting him, what with all his crazy screaming. Then he saw she had closed her eyes and a tear had made a wet path from her eye to her cheek, where it stayed. He smirked and started to move his arm to reach her face, he had a strange urge to lick her tear, to see how bitter it tasted, how bitter he had made her soul. But then he realized he couldn't move his arm, _both _his arms. He tried moving one leg but it felt heavy and he couldn't move it either.

"**DON'T. TOUCH. HER!"**

His expression turned from smug to horrified n a matter of seconds. Naruto was gaining control back, with _two _tails already formed. This was bad,_ really _bad. For the first time Kyuubi felt like he had made a terrible mistake.

"_As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom" By __Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach_

(Wipes invisible sweat from forehead) Well, I'm sorry I took long and the chapter is short but my computer has been freezing every 5 minutes so I had to borrow my sister's, which took _a lot_ of begging. Also, the chapter was a bit rushed so if there are any mistakes I apologize.

Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought about the chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Alrighty then, here's chapter 8!

Enjoy this late chapter!

**WARNING:** my stupid yet smexy beta did not have time to beta this story, she's sort of in a…pickle. So this story will not be beta-ed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Are**

_You _

Afraid?

* * *

Hinata held her breath, waiting for something to happen. She didn't know what, but she still didn't dare open her eyes.

She jumped a little when she heard a pained grunt and hesitantly opened her eyes. Naruto was on his knees, clutching his chest in pain. Her first thought had been to run to his side and help him, but when she took a step forward Naruto's head snapped up, freezing her in place.

The red bubbly-looking chakra was slowly vanishing into thin air and the two tails that had formed were starting to disappear. The dark crimson color of his eyes kept wavering to his usual celestial blue, his whiskered birth marks had thinner and his fangs were slowly shrinking.

His expression was a mix between pain, anger and determination. Hinata was sure that she wasn't staring at Kyuubi anymore… she was staring at Naruto. Or something in between. It seemed that Kyuubi and Naruto were fighting for control. But she couldn't tell which one was winning and which one was losing.

"Stay away! Don't come near me!" Her heart cracked when she heard his voice. It was so full of pain and agony. Naruto was hurting, hurting because he was trying to stop Kyuubi. Hurting because he was trying to stop Kyuubi from hurting _her. _

An overwhelming amount of anger washed over her. She absolutely _loathed_ Kyuubi for making Naruto suffer so much. Suffer through all his childhood and now too. She wanted to do something, _anything_, to help Naruto.

He let out a scream and clutched his head, his nails painfully digging into his scalp. Hinata ignored Naruto's previous warning and took another hurried step closer. It scared her seeing him like this, in so much pain. It scared her to not know what to do to help him.

"Naruto!"

"NO!" She stopped right away, in the middle of taking another step. Why wouldn't Naruto let her help him? Did he think she wasn't able to help him? Well, maybe he was right. Maybe he couldn't help him… but she could at least try. She needed to try, she couldn't just turn around and leave him. Not after everything. She took yet another step forward when she saw something in his eyes flash.

His voice suddenly changed into a deeper tone, it became deeper and rougher.

"What's wrong, kit?" He smirked, but groaned in pain. Hinata knew it wasn't Naruto anymore, now it was Kyuubi again. And he wasn't talking to her.

"Afraid you'll hurt her?" He managed to sound smug and amused despite the obvious pain.

"SHUT _UP!_" Hinata flinched at the anger in Naruto's voice. She had never seen him this angry, and it surprised her to know that Naruto could sound so menacing.

"N-Naruto?" She wanted to know what was happening, what she could do to help him. What she could do to take away his suffering.

Naruto couldn't possibly explain the pain he was experiencing. His whole body felt like it would explode by the sheer pain he was in.

He wanted to stop groaning and moaning in pain to tell Hinata how sorry he truly was and that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell her that it was nothing, just a little pain here and there. Nothing he couldn't handle. But keeping himself from screaming was already too much, and he wasn't so sure that he _could_ handle it.

He could feel his body's control at the tip of his fingers, it was _so close!_ Yet every time he reached further, it would slip away from his grasp. Slithering into someone else's hands, into a pair of black dangerous-looking claws.

This frustrated him to no end. If he could just reach a little more, just a tiny bit more, then he could get a hold of it. Before those claws snatched it away from him. Before they snatched, not only his body, but Hinata too.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Hinata move. He couldn't let Hinata get any closer, it was too dangerous. He didn't want to hurt her anymore, to cause her any more pain. It would destroy him if he saw that he had hurt her once again in just a couple of hours. What he needed to do was to stay as far away as possible from her. But she kept coming back, and she didn't listen to his warnings… to his pleadings.

She took yet another step, and Naruto was desperate. Finally, he uttered the words that had been fighting to escape since he saw her this morning.

"P-Please! _I don't want to hurt you_!" Naruto looked straight into her eyes, and she couldn't help but let a tear escape.

What she saw in those eyes made her go back to shaking. The desperation and fear in them made him look so vulnerable, just like that little boy who used to sit all alone on a swing and watch everyone else play with their friends. It was unbearable to see him like this again, broken and scared. Scared that he might ruin something, hurt someone…

Fear was taking over again. But not fear of Naruto hurting her. She wasn't afraid of him, but _for_ him.

Kyuubi was also feeling that excruciating pain. It felt like having all your bones broken and being skinned alive at the same time. He wasn't going to scream, that was pathetic, but he couldn't hold back the pained grunts and moans that occasionally escaped by him. He had felt bigger pain then this, he just wasn't used to it anymore. After all, he hadn't felt much in over 18 years.

But one look at Hinata's face kept him fighting for the control. He wanted her more than he had wanted anything for a long time. She made him feel so powerful and strong. Like he could get anything he wanted… a feeling that Naruto took away from him with one single look. He had gone this far, and he wasn't about to throw it all away because of a little pain.

He never even considered the possibility of Naruto being able to gain his body's control back. It's never happened before, not with two tails already formed. He had to admit, Naruto was stronger than he thought. And he hated it.

It looked like the pain wouldn't stop until one of them gives up, but he knew how Naruto was. How persistent he could be, how he just _never gave up_. But neither would he. He wasn't about to lose Hinata to some kid, especially if that kid was Naruto.

Naruto, who kept him trapped in that god damned cage for all those years. Kyuubi missed being able to move freely wherever he wanted, to have people fear and respect him, to always get what he wanted. And he lost it all because of some Hokage and a kid.

So, in exchange, Kyuubi made Naruto's life a much bigger hell. He made sure that Naruto knew that he was also a monster. He made sure that he understood why exactly people hated him so much. He made sure Naruto hated himself, for everything he did to him.

The sudden numbness of his two arms snapped him out of his thoughts. Naruto was gaining more and more power, and Kyuubi was slowly losing control of the body. He couldn't feel his legs anymore, either. Where did Naruto get all this strength and power from? Last time he checked, Naruto was still the same obnoxious, dense, weak kid who claimed he would be the next Hokage. Was Kyuubi actually _losing _against _Naruto?_

He felt his breath being knocked out of him. A new, bigger pain exploded in his chest, it felt like someone had reached into him and was squeezing his heart. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he could barely breathe and his vision was starting to get blurry. He could feel himself slowly falling into unconsciousness, he could himself feel losing this fight.

Naruto could feel the pain starting to fade, little by little. He could breathe better now, and stopped seeing everything double and blurry. The fire in his chest started to die down, the banging in his head became less distracting and the numbness was slowly disappearing. Did this mean he was winning? Did it mean he would get his body back?

Kyuubi gathered all his remaining energy and looked one last time into Hinata's eyes, one last time into the only prey who had managed to escape. Before finally falling into oblivion.

_There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. - Louis XIV_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So…

I hope it was a good chapter! The next chapter will probably be the last one, but I can't promise a fast update. Sniff… my story's coming to an end! WHY!?!

…

Sorry.


	9. Chapter 9

So, I decided that the chapter waslate enough and ignored my huge laziness to finally update it! This is the last chapter! My story has finally come to an end… chapter 9, the very last chapter…

*wipes away tears*Anyways, I just want to thank everyone who reviewed this story, and those who reviewed constantly.

Enjoy the last chapter of "Are You Afraid?", and a million thanks for coming this far with me… whoever you are.

**WARNING:** my stupid and bitchy yet sexy and irresistible beta did not have time to beta this story, she's sort of in a…pickle (excuses, excuses!). So this story is not be beta-ed.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Are**

_You _

Afraid?

* * *

Suddenly, everything turned black for Naruto, he couldn't see a thing. He immediately started panicking, had he lost? Was Kyuubi the one that actually won? Then, a big, blinding light appeared in front of him, and it kept growing and growing. It burned his eyes and forced him to look away.

After a few seconds of waiting for something to happen, Naruto carefully opened his eyes again. Instead of seeing that blindingly bright light or being inside his mind again, he saw his own hands gripping his knees. He blinked a little, just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. After all, he still wasn't sure that he won, and defeated Kyuubi. He moved his hands a little, turned them around and flexed his fingers. He noticed that he was panting, but it didn't burn to breathe anymore. There was still some pain, but this pain was different, his head still hurt, and his whole body felt stiff. But this time he really could handle the pain, it wasn't nearly as strong as what he felt when he was fighting Kyuubi.

A huge grin started forming on his face. He had won! He had actually won against Kyuubi and gained his body back! He looked up in a rush of excitement only to stare into teary lavender eyes.

His grin slowly disappeared as he looked at Hinata. She stood a few feet away from him but he didn't need to be closer to see how shocked and scared she was. She wore an expression of utter shock, a trail of tears marked on her cheeks, her hair messy and half naked.

He looked back down, breaking eye contact. His hands were gripping his knees tightly and he clenched his jaw. He was furious! Anger and hatred burned inside of him, but he knew better than to lose control again. He wasn't angry at Kyuubi for taking over his body and "attacking" Hinata. He wasn't angry at Hinata for choosing this day to ask him to train with her. He wasn't angry at the Fourth for sealing Kyuubi inside of him.

No, he was angry at himself. For not being able to control Kyuubi, for not controlling _himself. _For being weak enough to let Kyuubi get this far and letting him do this much harm. For not being strong enough.

Hinata was a mess, and all because of him.

Naruto had stopped Kyuubi, but he had been too late… he had let it go this far. He would _never_ forgive himself, and he was sure that neither would Hinata. But he wouldn't blame her, she had all the right to hate him.

Hinata stared, dumbfounded. What happened? Naruto… he wasn't moving! Did he lose? Was he hurt? Questions and panic started clouding Hinata's mind. She couldn't think properly anymore. Her knees started shaking and she felt her heart constrict painfully. What if something bad happened to Naruto? Had Kyuubi hurt him… killed him? She didn't know anything about how the seal the Fourth had put on Naruto worked, and she didn't know if Kyuubi killing Naruto was even possible.

Just as she was about to start hyperventilating, Her eyes caught movement. Naruto… or Kyuubi, was moving his hands, examining them. The movement seemed uncertain, as if not quite sure what he was seeing. Then she heard a shaky laugh and Naruto looked up, a big grin plastered on his face.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat, he r eyes widened, and she stood there, completely shocked. This really was Naruto, he had won! There were cloudless-sky-blue eyes instead of angry red, his whiskers were back to their birthmark appearance, his claws were just normal-length nails and his hair looked normal. He looked like he had this morning. Before any of this happened.

Hinata wanted to say something, anything. She wanted to congratulate Naruto, she wanted to tell him that she was fine, she wanted to smile at him and laugh about this whole thing. But she didn't even move, _couldn't_ move. Instead, she stood there, her shocked expression in place, the trail of tears still fresh on her cheeks, and her heavy breathing echoing throughout the forest.

Naruto's grin quickly disappeared, the excitement and happiness in his eyes disappearing along with it. He quickly looked down, back at his hands which were now gripping his knees. He took a shaky breath, and stood up, still looking down. He wasn't going to do this kneeling on the floor, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her in the eye.

"I… _I'm really sorry_…" Naruto knew that such a simple apology would never be enough. He knew that nothing he did could make Hinata forgive him. Nothing he did could make him forgive himself. But he couldn't just walk away like that, not without at least apologizing.

"I'm sorry for all of this."

_For what? For making her regret ever knowing me? For traumatizing her? For making a perfectly normal morning turn into a nightmare?_

"I never wanted you to find out this way about… _him_.

"I really am sorry. I know you can't forgive me but… I just wish this never happened." Naruto gave a weak smile, and he didn't notice until then that he was crying. Tears were running down his cheeks without his permission and he quickly wiped them away. He couldn't afford to be any weaker, not now.

"Don't worry, you never… you never have to see me again." He apologized one last time before turning around.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to continue apologizing. He wanted to tell her just how sorry he really was, but that would be pushing his luck. He didn't expect Hinata to forgive him, not at all, yet he couldn't help hoping for it. And he hated himself for that. How could he want such a thing from Hinata? After all he's done, after all he's made Hinata go through, how could he hope for her forgiveness?

He was disgusted with himself. He was the most selfish person he knew, how could he live with himself? He couldn't. He couldn't live with himself, definitely not after today.

What would he do after today? He couldn't stay here, he wouldn't be able to look at _anyone_ in the eye again. He would have to stay away from all his friends. And even if moved away to some other village, today's events would never leave his mind, they would haunt him forever.

Hinata knew Naruto was blaming himself, but that didn't mean it was actually his fault. It was Kyuubi's. And it was even part Hinata's fault, too. She was the one who asked him to train with her, and she was the one who wanted to train in a deserted forest. She should have noticed that something was wrong, she should have noticed how hesitant Naruto was acting, how he always put a distance between the two, and how he was constantly making faces even though no one was talking. At least not someone _she_ could hear.

When Naruto said that she didn't need to see him again she knew that if she let him leave she probably wouldn't see him ever again. As the thought finally hit her, her whole body started shaking worse than before and fresh tears slid down her face before she could even blink. Her lips parted, but she didn't know what to say. What could she say?

"N-Naruto, wait!"

She thought she heard a whispered sob, but she wasn't sure. Then, after that, Naruto said the words that broke Hinata quicker and harder than anything that happened that day, the words that were only heard in her very worst nightmares.

"I'm sorry… Good-bye."

She couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much, the pain and emotions were all too sudden, she's never felt this broken before. No amount of tears or words could let Naruto understand just how much she needed him. How much she truly loved him.

"Please don't leave, Naruto… p-please don't leave me!"

Those were the first words that came to mind. She didn't know what to say to make Naruto stay, what would make him understand that she didn't want him to leave. She wasn't sure Naruto heard what she said, her words were barely understandable with all the sobs interrupting her. But his back had tensed, his knuckles bleached and she was sure she heard a broken sob that wasn't hers.

He was hesitating! There was no time to waste, Hinata had to say it all while there was still a chance.

"I lo-"

"_Stop_!"

Naruto was about to give in, about to stay here with Hinata, despite what was better for both of them. But he couldn't be so selfish, he couldn't just ignore the consequences that that would definitely bring Hinata. Allowing her to be with a weak, pathetic vessel of a demon that was lusting after her wasn't the smartest thing to do, and Naruto was more than sure that if he stayed he would hurt Hinata even more. And himself too.

He had to stop Hinata before she completed that sentence. The sentence that would break his will in less than a second, something none of his enemies had ever been close to achieving. It would turn him into a selfish monster, taking Hinata's love and giving back misery. Giving back a kind of love that would kill her.

"Stop, you don't mean that. You _can't_ mean it, Hinata…"

Didn't she hear Kyuubi? He had _a demon inside of him_, one that he could barely control! Didn't she know what that meant? She couldn't love him. That was ridicules, loving someone like him. Why would she love him, _him_ of all people? He was no good for her, in fact, he was the worst there was.

Maybe she didn't know the meaning those words held for him, maybe she didn't know what saying "I love you" could do to him, especially coming from her.

Hinata felt herself smile sadly. Naruto really could be dense, even in situations like this. Couldn't he see just how much she loved him, how much she's been dying to say how she felt about him since she was twelve? It was almost funny, just when she was about to tell him, he stops her and says that she doesn't mean it. Doesn't mean it! That's ridicules, she's been loving him for six years! She'll just have to make him listen, no matter how stubborn he is.

"Naru-"

"_Please,_ Hinata. Don't do this!"

"_I love you_, Naruto! Can't you see that! I've loved you for a long, _long_ time. I don't care if you have the nine-tailed demon sealed inside of you. I'm not afraid of you, and I don't care what you say. I'd still love you…" she took a deep breath before continuing.

"No matter what."

She said it, Hinata finally told Naruto how she felt. And she didn't even stutter, not once. She couldn't describe the feeling, or feelings, that rushed over her. It felt like huge relief mixed with fear, and happiness mixed with nervousness.

Naruto visibly tensed and his nails cut through his hands' skin, a few drops of blood dropped into the ground beneath him. But he didn't notice the sting. The shock took his breath away, _her words_ took his breath away. Was it possible? Or had he gone crazy and started having hallucinations? Maybe this really was a dream, and he would wake up in his bed. Or maybe… just maybe, Hinata really did feel the same way he did.

Naruto cautiously turned around, only half sure that he heard correctly.

"Y-You what?"

"I love you, Naruto. I need you and nothing in the world is going to change that."

It was decided. He wasn't going to fight it, he _couldn't_. Not anymore. He tried staying away from her, this wasn't the first time he thought about how he was hurting her and himself, even if she didn't know it.

Naruto had tried to stop Hinata, stop _himself_, from getting closer. But she kept coming back, no matter how many times he had told her to stay away, no matter how many times he tried to stay away from her. Step by step she was breaking down all the walls he put around himself. Step by step she was destroying all his efforts to keep himself away from her.

For the first time in Naruto's life he was going to give up and feel happy about it. In four long steps Naruto closed the distance to Hinata. He hesitated, opened his mouth and closed it a few times. Hinata was looking at him with watery eyes and a combination of hope and fear etched across her face.

"I… I love you too, Hinata. I'm sorry, I can help it."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata as tightly as he could, bringing her as close as possible. He felt Hinata hold him just as tightly. They were clinging at each other desperately, and Naruto couldn't remember a time where he'd been any happier.

Hinata pulled away, just enough to be able to see Naruto's face. She cradled his face in both her hands and leaned in close enough to feel his breath gently caress at her face. Then she whispered in a voice full of happiness.

"Don't be. I'm happy."

They both smiled gently before bringing their lips together.

_"You never lose by loving. You only lose by holding back."  
__- Barbara De Angelis_

* * *

Well, it's done! The end of my first story.

I actually started this story thinking it would a one-shot, and it ended up being a… nine-shot! Guess I got a little carried away.

I just want to thank everyone who reviewed again, so, THANK YOU!


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